a month without monsanto...

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Why am I trying to go a Month Without Monsanto?


It all started in January when a friend posted a link on her Facebook page to an article in the Huffington Post: “Monsanto’s GMO Corn Linked to Organ Failure, Study Reveals”

After reading the article, my instinct to stick it to the man compelled me to swear off all things

Monsanto for good. How hard could it be?

A little research, however, proved that it would be quite difficult. As consumers, we are largely unaware that everything from last night’s steak, to the Cheez-Its on our desk owe their existence to Monsanto.

I began to ponder whether it is even possible to live a modern, American life outside the grasp of Monsanto.

The question grew and grew in my head like a riddle of genetically modified proportions.

I’ve always found the issue of GMO’s fascinating. Humans have been breeding food since we first cultivated it. GMO is just a faster way of doing the same thing, right? That’s what I thought until I read the report from International Journal of Biological Sciences (see link in the column to the right). Then I felt suspicious, untrusting, and confused.

I turned to my training as a scientist. I received my undergraduate degree in biology from Scripps College. I know how to navigate my way around scientific reports and I should certainly be able to take control of what foods I put into my body.

I’m not doing this as a political statement, at least, that’s not how I’m starting out. I am simply fascinated by the fact that one company can have such a profound grasp on the human species and I’m ultimately curious - if we decide, as individuals, we don’t want Monsanto products to be a part of our lives, is it even possible to live without them?

We shall see...